Giants' Will Hernandez enjoys being Saquon Barkley's bodyguard, but why so many practice fights?

EAST RUTHERFORD -- Giants' second-round NFL Draft choice Will Hernandez can't protect or clear the path for No. 2 overall pick running back Saquon Barkley at all times, but he sure wishes he could.

Since the moment both were chosen by the Giants in April's NFL Draft, Hernandez has opened running lanes on the practice field for Barkley and escorting him around the Quest Diagnostics Training Center, including in the lunch line of the cafeteria.

"I just saw a video the other day from [Landon Collins’ charity] softball game," Hernandez said following Tuesday's first practice of mandatory minicamp. "And they were throwing Dodgeballs or something at Saquon … They were playing some sort of game, and I was just sitting there thinking ‘Damn, I wish I could have been there to dive in front of those balls, or something, for him.’"

Jokes about wanting to jump in front of dodgeballs whizzing towards the prized rookie running back aside, Hernandez says that he's already impressed by Barkley both as a player as well as a teammate.

"He’s awesome," Hernandez said. "He’s a great teammate, and I’m better that I’m able to play with him. "We’ve grown a lot closer since we’ve been here. Our lockers are only about two lockers apart. We’re always talking. Saquon’s a really cool guy."

In order to be a successful offensive lineman in the NFL, it takes a certain attitude and ferociousness, and occasionally your emotions can be used to an advantage, if it means proving a point or imposing your will on an opponent.

Hernandez has already gotten into several fights with teammates during practice, even before the intensity ramps up during training camp in the August sun.

Hernandez insists there are no hard feelings. He's just competitive, he says.

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"The fights just happen," Hernandez said. "And I move on, and I forget about it. The one thing I’ll tell you about the fights is, I love every single one of those guys. They’re my teammates, they’re my brothers. Brothers fight once in a while. We rough each other up a little, but we go back to the locker room and shake hands, make things better, and everything’s cool."

Rebuilding the offensive line was a top priority of general manager Dave Gettleman during the offseason. In 2017, quarterback Eli Manning was sacked 31 times and the running game ranked No. 26 in the league, averaging 96.8 yards per game.

Along with a personnel upgrade, an attitude adjustment was necessary up front.

Hernandez says that he's encouraged to see his teammates showing fight this spring.

"I think the reason why I’ve been in a couple of fights, is everyone has the same attitude," Hernandez said. "That’s just something that we need on this team to be able to win. I’m glad that I can step into a team like that, and fit right in. It’s not like I’m the only guy fighting, those guys are fighting back. I love it. I love that our defense has that, too. We need that. They’re my brothers, I still love them, but we’ll always get after each other to make each other better. That’s the only purpose of those fights, to get each other better."

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Nate Solder ... Future Hall of Famer?

The Giants' biggest offensive line addition was veteran Nate Solder, who was signed as a free agent.

Adding Solder, a Super Bowl champion, provides stability to the left side, and Hernandez says he couldn't ask for a better mentor.

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"First, I’m extremely blessed to be able to come in and play next to a future Hall of Famer, in my opinion," Hernandez said. "The guy isn’t just a great player, he’s also a great coach, a great teammate, and just a great person off the field. He’s taught me a lot, so far. There’s no telling how much I’m going to learn from him as the time passes."

The Giants made Solder the NFL's highest-paid offensive lineman with a four-year deal worth $62 million. The hope is that he can help develop Hernandez and fix one of the leakiest offensive lines in the league.

"There's a tremendous amount of pressure, and I've been under a tremendous amount of pressure for years now," Solder recently said. "You can only take it one bite at a time. You go one day better. It's not going to be one person that is going to fix everything. It's going to be a group effort. We got to win as a team and do the best we can every single day."

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Matt Lombardo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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Value in every practice rep ...

Hernandez is just two practices shy of completing his first NFL offseason program, and even though the pads won't go on until training camp in late July, he says that there is value in every practice rep he's taken thus far and will take before the regular season kicks off Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars at MetLife Stadium.

"I’m always learning," Hernandez said. "I’m learning every practice. I appreciate every practice, where I can get as my reps as I can, to get everything down the way I want to do it. It’s been great. The coaches have been great. My teammates have been supporting me, coaching me up, and giving me pointers here, and there."

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Until the full contact practices begin, Hernandez says that his focus is on refining his technique and fundamentals.

"There’s always something you can work on," Hernandez explained. "Whatever attire we’re wearing out here. If we’re not wearing pads, that’s a great opportunity to be able to focus on your technique, footwork, hand-placement, and things like that. I’m more than happy to be able to work on that stuff, regardless of the attire. Once we put the pads on, there is more to work on, obviously, but I’m still able to work on a lot with just helmets and shorts."

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Hernandez has the chance to become a cornerstone of the Giants' rebuild, and it hasn't taken long for him to takeover the starting left guard job, appearing to be firmly entrenched at that spot which could put him in prime position to be a breakout star if he's able to play a key role in a strong rookie season from Barkley and give Manning the opportunity to remain upright long enough to maximize all of the talent around him on offense.

That's exactly what Hernandez is fighting for, and working towards this spring.

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Matt Lombardo may be reached at MLombardo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattLombardoNFL